244 False Dawns

Back in Provda, the king was on the warpath. He had left the Stuttin house with an order that all the men there be rounded up and delivered to him at the palace. “I think there's still more,” he said. “I don't think I've got all the information that I need.” Men had been sent to Erom's castle to find his mother was she was not there. The servants there reported that she had left in a carriage the day before. No one could tell if she had somehow got wind of the occurrences but it was unlikely. But all the Stuttin were bundled off to the palace and although they were treated well enough, they were all scared. In the meantime, Lord Geldon returned with his report about three days later and it was a damning one. Yes, there were men who had served around that period. All of them had told their families that they were going to another kingdom for a mission and they had just never returned. “No one from the palace bothered to go inform their families?” Gavadiol asked, shocked. The go